All voice-over performances used to compete in one category at the Emmys, but starting in 2014, the award was split into two races honoring the best character performances (including actors in animated shows like “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” etc.) and the best narrators (including fiction programs and documentaries). This year’s Best Narrator lineup is a mixed bunch, recognizing those voices behind a science show, two animal programs, a comic telenovela and a history documentary.
Hottest Creative Arts Emmy races: ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Jane the Virgin’ …
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson contends for National Geographic’s “Hubble’s Cosmic Journey.” This is the second Emmy nomination in a row for the popular scientist. He contended last year for Best Nonfiction Series for “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” which lost to “American Masters.”
Though “Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez was snubbed for Best Comedy Actress, the CW show did break through with a nomination for narrator Anthony Mendez. He sets the comic tone for the series and untangles its complex web of storylines. He is nominated for the episode “Chapter Fourteen.” This is his first-ever Emmy bid.
Henry Strozier is nominated in this category for the second year in a row for Animal Planet’s “Too Cute!” He lost last year to Jeremy Irons for Nat Geo Wild’s “Game of Lions.” This time Strozier is being considered for the episode “Tubby Puppies.”
Nat Geo Wild is back this year with “Operation Orangutan,” narrated by two-time Oscar-nominee Miranda Richardson. The veteran actress has an impressive list of acting credits, including the Emmy-winning miniseries “The Lost Prince” in 2004, so it’s surprising that this is her first Emmy bid.
Actor Peter Coyote is nominated for PBS’s “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History” and contends for “Episode 1: Get Action (1858-1901).” He was nominated for Best Drama Guest Actor in 1991 for “Road to Avonlea” but lost to David Opatoshu (“Gabriel’s Fire”).
‘Jane the Virgin’ Emmy nominee Anthony Mendez ‘heartbroken’ at Gina Rodriguez snub
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